why isn't Doctor Tenma involved?

[the 鉄腕アトム fan]

i don't really understand this;

why in the 1963 version Doctor Tenma is in the first 2 episodes or something and then it's the same in the 1980, they make it's like he doesn't even existed, but why then make him really involved in the 2003?

this has been playing on my mind for a while now , does anyone now why, this is?

[MightyAstro]

I have no idea as to why the producers in Japan chose to use Tenma or not as they did.

Tezuka is the man to ask regarding his decision not to use the character much for the first two series at least and it's too late to ask him now. But interestingly Tenma was used by Tezuka as a very minor character in his Astroboy manga series with very rare appearances to give help to Astro.

[Bigdog]

Maybe he lapsed into insanity and stayed hidden with shame. After reading into the chimeras from FullMetal Alchemist, I believe Astro boy to actually be Tobio , but his brain and consciousness were integrated into a mechanical body in a twisted Frankenstein experiment gone horribly wrong.

[jeffbert]

In both the manga (Shonen, anyway) Tenma appears from time to time, in a few, Atom's enemy & ally on others

[avatargirl]

HI- i WOULD SAY THE reason is since DR TENMA created ASTROBOY and then rejected him it would be hard for him to be as close as he should be to the robot he created in his son's image. ALSO REMEMBER DR TENMA became a criminal and would be hard for ASTROBOY to have to fight his father/creator - so he was not involve in many of the earlier episodes of ASTROBOY. THEN he was more involve in the 2003 series and it was sad he was a criminal scientist - not seen any of the episodes that he was in - in the 2003 series but i wish he could had became the father to ASTROBOY he should had been.

[the 鉄腕アトム fan]

HI- i WOULD SAY THE reason is since DR TENMA created ASTROBOY and then rejected him it would be hard for him to be as close as he should be to the robot he created in his son's image. ALSO REMEMBER DR TENMA became a criminal and would be hard for ASTROBOY to have to fight his father/creator - so he was not involve in many of the earlier episodes of ASTROBOY. THEN he was more involve in the 2003 series and it was sad he was a criminal scientist - not seen any of the episodes that he was in - in the 2003 series but i wish he could had became the father to ASTROBOY he should had been.

Yeah that's right!!!!!! Thank you AvatarGirl!!!!! *HUGS* that makes so much sense!!!! Thank you soooooooooooo MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Androids101]

HI- i WOULD SAY THE reason is since DR TENMA created ASTROBOY and then rejected him it would be hard for him to be as close as he should be to the robot he created in his son's image. ALSO REMEMBER DR TENMA became a criminal and would be hard for ASTROBOY to have to fight his father/creator - so he was not involve in many of the earlier episodes of ASTROBOY. THEN he was more involve in the 2003 series and it was sad he was a criminal scientist - not seen any of the episodes that he was in - in the 2003 series but i wish he could had became the father to ASTROBOY he should had been.

I agree! In the 1980s series Tenma practically isn't even mentioned after the first few episodes, although Tenma could have been too appalled at his actions and went into hiding, while Astro would have been too uncomfortable to talk about how he was not wanted anymore (since he never knew that Tenma went looking for him). Even if they met in the streets they might just not look at each other and keep on walking.

[Fauna]

On the matter of when Tenma appears, it really depends who's in control of the series at that time...and hey, maybe Tenma was a pivotal figure in the 2003 series to make up for lost time in 1980.

While they never do say what happens to Tenma in the 1980's series, the Canadian dub throws in a few mentions that Tenma (or, in this dub, Balfus) died when the ship hit an iceberg, and it was since covered up by Dr. Ochanomizu.